11 February 2014 - QA 3

Gurudev, I come from a Christian background and feel the love for Christ reflected in your teachings. However, the Bible says that Christ is the only way.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Love is the only way.

Do you know the Bible was written 70 years after Jesus Christ? There are 72 sects of Christianity, all of which have their own interpretation of the Bible (similar to how there are 32 sects of Buddhism).If you see the ancient teachings, Lord Krishna also says the same thing, ‘This is the only way!’ This is an affirmation for people who were there at that time, to be in the present moment. This is also the reason why Jesus said, ‘Those who came before me were thieves.’Why did he say that? He said that because right now you are here, and you are thinking about the past; your mind has been stolen by somebody. So, he said that to bring the people to the present moment, to wake them up so that they could be - here right now.

You cannot misinterpret all these things. Jesus said, ‘I have come here not to make peace, but to put fire. To put father against son, mother against daughter.’If you think this is what Jesus said, then no. This is all with reference to some context, with some inner meaning to it.Jesus would never be unhappy or upset if you did something that would help in your growth; which would make you more loving, which would make you a more peaceful and a better human being.So, if you practice yoga, meditation, and some people tell you, ‘Oh, you are betraying Jesus!’ I tell you, it is absolute nonsense. If you meditate, do yoga, and read the Upanishads, why would Jesus get upset? Not at all! In fact, Jesus spent 12 years of his life in India.

Jesus can never be against the ancient teachings, especially meditation and yoga; absolutely not. I have written a small book called Hinduism and Christianity; you should read it. I have mentioned there how many similarities exist between Hinduism and Christianity. So, doing meditation, doing these practices is not against the teachings of Jesus Christ. If someone says it, they are saying it out of their ignorance.